Angel
by jungleanimal
Summary: A special somebody comes to visit the BAU on Halloween. No, it is not an angel-but as close as you can get.


**Just something I couldn't get out of my head. I meant to post this before Halloween, but life got in the way. Honestly, I think I made pretty good timing :)**

**Enjoy!**

It had been a tough case.

And that, my friends, was the understatement of the century.

Kids had been kidnapped, raped, and murdered. For the past four years, for the two weeks before Halloween, three kids were abducted from costume stores.

This was the first year the BAU had been notified of the serial offense. They arrived already angry at the polices' delay, and with a gut feeling in their stomach. The kind that warns anybody over the age of five to take a step back, cool it down, and don't get hurt.

Of course, the FBI doesn't have that luxury.

When the unsub was finally found just the day before the holiday, only two of the kids were alive.

The deceased was still in the room with the frightened children.

At the hospital, they found out too late that both kids had been given a painfully large dose of poison. So the team sat by, useless, as the two success stories quickly morphed into failures.

On the plane ride back Halloween day, nobody had a dry eye. Morgan listened to the happiest playlist on his iPod, still unable to shake away the sickened feeling. Rossi pretended to sleep, and covered up his constant sniffling with pretend snores. Reid sank to the floor by the coffee machine after his third cup, and couldn't find the strength or willpower to get back up. Prentiss couldn't bring herself to even cover up her tears; she let them flow freely and silently as each member lived in their own private bubble. Hotch just stared out the window, and as the rivers and mountains and grasslands passed underneath them, he couldn't get his mind off of two certain, special kids.

Jack and, of course, Henry.

There was not a single person on the team who wasn't thinking that, had JJ been there, the two kids—and quite possible the third—would now be sleeping restlessly at the hospital, aching but alive.

Hotch's mind raced back to the last time he had seen her. It had been nearly two long months since the person, whom they had all correctly labeled as completely irreplaceable, had any sort of appearance in his life. As a matter of fact, as far as he knew, it had been just as long since _any_ of them had seen her.

Hotch's cell phone _ping_ed, soon followed by Morgans. Then Prentiss and Rossi and Reid. Hotch couldn't stop the smirk that spread across his face as he saw the notification. She_ would_ know exactly when he was thinking about her.

She just had that kind of sense. They all did, actually. A sixth sense to the other team members. Every emotion was amplified, times seven. When one of them fell, so did all the rest. When one was hurting, so did everybody.

When one was thinking of another, chances are they are thinking the same thing.

_New e-mail. To: Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia, Spencer Reid, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss. From: Jennifer Jareau. Subject: Happy Halloween!_

_Hey everybody! I just wanted to wish you all a happy Halloween. I hope the case load hasn't been _too_ bad without me! Just kidding, I'm sure you are all doing just fine. My new job is okay, but nowhere near as great as the BAU. Of course, I don't miss the murders or crimes one bit, but it's so hard to get me excited about anything anymore (stop smirking, Morgan!). The people are great, everybody is really nice to me. Some a little _too _nice. I swear, the 'welcoming committee' here needs to cool it down a bit. It's a little scary, actually. I mean, why go through all the effort of making sure the first few months are flawless, unless they know it's going to get really bad?_

_I guess that's not much of a problem for me, though. I'm used to 'bad' by now. _

_So let me know how things are! I really miss you all—can you believe it's been two months? Some days, it feels like I've been working here forever, but there are other days I still feel like the new kid. The people stare at me like I'm some foreign antique on display. _

_I take the best of all of you with me wherever I go, and I really want you to know that. All of your strength and compassion, your color making this black and white world we are forced to live in a little more exciting._

_I think what I miss most is all of your friendship, to be honest. Here, everything is strictly professional. I miss being able to talk to you guys about anything and everything, knowing that whatever I say will be safe with you forever, whether I ask you or not. And, as weird as it may sound, I miss having you be able to know what I'm thinking (not so much as profilers, but more as friends)._

_I guess to sum it up, it doesn't suck here. But it sure as hell is nowhere near as wonderful as the BAU._

_See you soon._

_ Love, JJ._

Hotch heard sniffling coming from the back of the plane, starting when he was finished reading probably only the first two sentences. He turned around. "Reid?" He asked the young agent, who was finally making his way over to a seat. But he didn't even have to ask what was wrong. "We all miss her."

Reid nodded. "With Gideon, it was sad. I was upset and lost and confused, because he left us. But he was burnt out, and to be honest, there's only so much you can do before this job completely takes everything out of you. But JJ...she wasn't ready to go. She wasn't even _close_. She didn't leave—she was taken."

Hotch bit his lip. "I know."

"I want her back."

"I know."

This time it was Emily—whispering, so quietly Hotch wasn't even sure if he heard her correctly. A tear rolled down her cheek, this time having nothing to do with lost kids.

This time, having to do with a lost friend.

"Do you think she knows?" Morgan asked, mumbling.

"That we miss her? Of course. Didn't you read the e-mail?"

"No, Kid, not JJ. I mean Strauss. Do you think she knows? Do you think she knows that pulling JJ away from us has completely pulled apart our team? JJ was the one who kept us going. Literally. She got us the cases, briefed us, and talked her way through the families and media and G-d only knows what else she did without telling us, because she didn't want the praise. Because she didn't want to take away the attention from the case. Then when we got home, she's the one who had a family to go home to. And _still_ made time to go out with us. Do you think Strauss knows that without JJ, we are like bodies walking around without our souls?"

"_Landing in five_."

The pilot's voice startled all five of them (five, not six). So oblivious.

So lucky.

"Who's up for a drink?" Morgan asked, doing his best to sound upbeat, and failing miserably.

"Or ten," Emily muttered as they stepped out of the elevator. Penelope ran up to them, a huge grin on her face.

"Not out, though," Prentiss sighed. "I'm going home."

Penelope shook her head. "I don't think so, Missy." She grabbed Emily's wrist.

"Hey—Penelope! Garcia, let go!"

Garcia made a face and released her arm. "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the airplane couch."

"Somebody just solved the case in the worst way possible," Rossi reminded her sadly.

"Well, I have something that will cheer you up without attacking your liver. Come on, time for some alcohol-free fun."

Not quite sure they wanted to know what the eccentric redhead had in mind, but craving the distraction, the five team members followed her.

And, boy, were they glad they did.

There were two people in the briefing room. One, a little blonde boy dressed as a pumpkin—big, orange costume with a hat, orange with green leaves on top. And his mother, blonde in a gorgeous white dress, heels, and a white halo bouncing above her head.

An angel?

Well, no, but pretty damn close.

"JJ!" Emily cried, running up and giving her friend the biggest hug she's ever given.

"Hey, Em," JJ grinned, burying her face in her shoulder.

Reid dropped his go-bag on the floor and, as soon as Emily gave him a chance, embraced the blonde as well. Morgan tried to act manly, clapping her on the back as she hugged him tightly, squeezing her eyes shut and smiling. Rossi gave her a quick hug as well. Hotch smiled a rare smile and held out his hand to shake. JJ rolled her eyes with a small smirk and pulled her former boss into a hug.

She pulled away, her smile radiating as she took in the people standing before her. They may not be her team anymore, but they were still her family.

JJ bent down and picked up her son. "Me and Henry are going trick-or-treating in a little while," she informed, "and he had me dress up as an angel." She sighed. "It's great to see you guys."

"It's great to see you too, JJ," Rossi said.

"We miss you, JJ," Hotch said sadly.

"I miss you too," she whispered, kissing Henry on the head. "I miss you all so much. And every day when I go to work, I see my go-bag, empty, sitting by my door. Waiting for me to need it again. I guess I'm not ready to go just yet." She laughed at the irony. Not a happy laugh, but still somehow angelic. "And every day when I go to work, every single one of my actions is influenced by all of you. Your strength, friendship, love, acceptance—the list goes on and on and on. But every day, when I leave to go to the Pentagon, I can't seem to understand how this is a promotion. The money is better, but what I end up with at the end of the day—it can't even _begin_ to add up to what I gained working here, with all of you."

Hotch stood, dumbfounded, frozen on the spot. He had no idea how to respond without sounding like a total idiot. She had such a way with words, everything she said came out just the way she wanted it to sound, almost like she rehearsed it. But he knew that was not the case.

Luckily for him, JJ continued. "But you're all my friends and family, not them. Which is why I'm here on my own time. I know you all just got back from a tough case, but would you like to come trick-or-treating with me and Henry?"

"Of course." Emily was the first to agree, quickly followed by everyone else.

JJ grinned. "We'll be waiting outside. Come whenever you're ready. If you need a costume-"

"We don't," Hotch interrupted. "Why would we need a costume, when you aren't wearing one?"

Tears filled her eyes, and a beautiful, genuine smile spread across her face.

Not quite an angel, but as close as you can get.

**Please please please review! :D**


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